Resident Evil: Damnation | 2012
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, one of the supporting countries, the Donslav Republic, abandoned communism and transitioned to a capitalist system. However, due to the tyranny of large corporations, only a minority group seized power, leading to an even more severe wealth gap. This resulted in mass protests from the citizens, which escalated into a rebellion by anti-regime activists. In response, the government suppressed the rebellion through military revitalization, and a fierce civil war ensued for several years.
During this turmoil, a ceasefire was proposed by the newly elected president, Svetlana Velikova, leading to a temporary peace. In November 2010, the government confirmed the large deposits of rare resources in the rebel areas and launched an immediate attack under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion. The attack was akin to a massacre, and even the rebels who had laid down their arms took up arms again to resist the government.
In February 2011, rumors spread that a monster was attacking people, and upon confirmation of the B.O.W. Licker's appearance, the United States dispatched an agent to the Donslav Republic. On vacation, Leon S. Kennedy infiltrated the Donslav Republic to investigate the rebels suspected of using B.O.W.s, but he suddenly learned from Hunnigan that the U.S. had withdrawn its support. Isolated in a war-torn country without proper assistance, Leon, aware of the dangers posed by the B.O.W., ignored Hunnigan's orders to escape and set out to uncover the truth.
While meeting with an informant involved with the rebels, Leon was attacked by a Licker. During the confrontation, he was knocked unconscious due to a stray shot. When he woke up, he found himself captured and bound by rebels named Sasha and JD. Claiming to be just a traveler who hadn’t eaten breakfast due to the civil war, he listened to their explanation of the situation when government forces stormed in. In the ensuing chaos, he managed to escape but was ambushed by Plaga-infected Ganados, and he helped JD, who was with him by chance.
After escaping the zombie attack, the two made their way to the rebels' base in a church. During this time, JD witnessed the people from his city becoming infected by Plaga one by one and revealed the truth to Leon: the rebel leaders had distributed Plaga among the rebels, and all of them were infected. The chaos caused by the government’s attack led to the entire town being infected by Plaga.
Leon learned that the dead were being transformed into Lickers, which followed the orders of the commander Plaga, and he became convinced of the rebels' use of B.O.W.s. Through JD, he also learned that Sasha intended to inject the commander Plaga into the Lickers to control them and attack the government. JD handed Leon a weapon and asked him to stop Sasha, but it was already too late as Sasha had taken the Plaga.
At this moment, Leon heard from Ada Wong that there would be a massive bombardment of the town to eradicate the B.O.W.s, and he rushed to the church to save JD. However, it was too late; JD and the remaining rebels had already turned into zombies, and JD was the last to succumb to the infection. Sasha arrived just in time to kill JD, who was turning into a zombie, and he became more determined to attack the government. Leon tried to stop him, but the church collapsed under the government’s assault, causing him to lose track of Sasha.
The next morning, Lickers controlled by Sasha launched a massive assault on the presidential palace, leading to fierce battles with the government forces trying to stop them. Meanwhile, Ada was captured by President Velikova, who was a former special forces instructor, while attempting to escape after her identity was revealed.
After the intense battle between the Lickers and soldiers, Leon arrived at the presidential palace. While searching the palace, he discovered a scientific facility in the underground bunker and encountered Ada, who had escaped. As they explored the facility together, Leon faced another truth: the bunker was producing command-type Plaga, not ordinary Plaga. This meant that the government had intentionally released Plaga to the rebels to suppress them and had used B.O.W.s while seeking support from other countries to annihilate the rebels.
Following an attack from the president and special forces, Leon and Ada found themselves in a crisis. They managed to capture the president but were soon cornered by his surprising skills. Just then, they were saved from danger by the sudden attack of Sasha and the Licker army. Sasha confronted the president, revealing that the rebel elders had already been bribed with promises of sharing the benefits of the rare resources, and he learned that the rebellion was over.
Ultimately, aside from a few who were bribed, only the lower ranks were left to die as Lickers and from Plaga. The president escaped unharmed and simultaneously released Tyrants. Sasha and Leon barely escaped the onslaught of multiple Tyrants. Leon wanted Sasha to survive and reveal the truth to everyone, but the Tyrants relentlessly pursued them, leading to a fierce battle between Leon and the Tyrants, with Sasha controlling the Lickers.
Meanwhile, the president prepared to give a speech to the nation, but the U.S. and Russian forces, having grasped the situation, attacked the government forces and advanced into the Donslav Republic. During this process, an A-10A from the U.S. Air Force managed to take down a Tyrant, allowing Leon and Sasha to survive. They realized that both the U.S. and Russia had intentionally allowed the civil war to continue while being aware of the situation.
Sasha, realizing that the Plaga within him was trying to take control, attempted to commit suicide. However, Leon stopped him, arguing that dying for their fallen comrades was a luxury, and that he must live on, even if it meant living as a cripple. He then shot himself.
After the civil war was suppressed and the president resigned, Leon learned from Hunnigan about the recovery of all B.O.W.s and the dismantling of related corporations. He set off for another mission, realizing that the U.S. and Russia had deliberately allowed the spread of B.O.W.s and the mass sacrifice of rebels and civilians to find a justification for intervening in the Donslav government. Leon also sensed that he had been used as a pawn in the U.S. government’s operations. Overwhelmed by disillusionment, he drank alone in a hotel and questioned Hunnigan about whether the president had known all along. Hunnigan reassured him that the president did not initially know but had tried to mitigate the situation. Disappointed with the U.S. government, Leon left the hotel with a bitter expression.
Finally, Ada promised to present a command-type Plaga that had been cultivated to someone. The film concludes with a scene of Sasha, now in a wheelchair, watching children run around in a war-torn homeland, suggesting that he has returned to his original profession after treating the Plaga within him. The timeline is set before the events of Resident Evil Revelations 2 and 6, depicting the story of the protagonist struggling to deal with the civil war and the biological weapons used in it against the backdrop of the fictional Donslav Republic. Unlike previous works, this film emphasizes the role of Plaga as a biological weapon rather than the destruction and chaos caused by zombies. It shows that the infection speed of Plaga is quite slow, and unlike before, it is not the dead that turn into zombies, but living people who can potentially be cured. The main enemy is not zombies but the secondary transformed state of zombies, the Licker. However, while the Licker is a primary enemy in the early to mid-part of the story, it becomes a reliable ally in the latter part.
Interestingly, Leon, who usually establishes romantic connections with new female characters, shows only a bond of friendship with Sasha this time. Unlike the previous installment, Degeneration, motion capture was used, resulting in very natural movements. Among the CG animations of Resident Evil, this film received relatively positive reactions. The previous installment was criticized for being filled with clichés and lacking quality, while the subsequent works also received harsh reviews, failing to satisfy fans. Among fans, it is often said that even a film like Damnation would suffice as a fan movie, and since this film, no CG movie series has received positive evaluations. The recently released Death Island in 2023 received similar praise to this film.
The setting of a fictional country served as a narrative backdrop, and the film left a strong impression with its entertaining direction. The agility of the Licker, which charges in with just a few centimeters of distance, and the heaviness and overwhelming power of the Tyrants featured in this film are rare even by the standards of the latest works and are still discussed today. However, it cannot be considered excellent by objective commercial film standards. Despite the series' characteristic B-grade sensibility and the common trope of a righteous and brave American male hero, fans appreciate that this film maintained a minimum level of narrative coherence without character collapse, unlike the sequels. The pacing in the conclusion can be seen as somewhat anticlimactic, but it is not perceived as unreasonable, leading to a generally favorable reception.
This film has unknowingly influenced the main game series, as the Tyrant T-103, which received praise in this film, was redesigned in a similar manner in Resident Evil RE:2, which was released later. Additionally, the action and camera angles of the Licker attacking the player character in RE:2 are identical to the scene in this film where the Licker attacks Leon with its claws.
